Cold, clear and birdless start to the day

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE
Green Woodpecker - heard on golf course & then east of Tim Butlers
Swift - 1 south
Swallow - c15 south
Meadow Pipit - one high to the south (first perceived autumn migrant)
grounded migrants: zilch

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Dreadful heat haze with birds facing away at high tide
Med Gull - 2 juvenile & 2 adult noticed
Black-tailed Godwit - 27
Whimbrel - 1

Butterflies Heysham Nature reserve
Highlighted by a really good count of 6 Small Copper, 3 Brimstone, 3 Red Admiral and Gatekeeper relegated to 'lots'.

Good Med total at high tide

Heysham Obs
Original posting removed due to changed forecast!

Red Nab/Ocean Edge/outfalls (with Brian Yorke)
Med Gull - 3 adults, one 2CY, 4 juvenile
Black-tailed Godwit - 4

Moths
A very late check saw a good number of Silver Y still left in (12), despite the sun on the window - possibilities of other migrants in the next few days!

Elsewhere
The 4CY Yellow-legged Gull and moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper still showing well at Glasson

Green Woodpecker added to the year list and almost to the ringing list!

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/Ocean Edge a bit too early on incoming tide & a quick look just after high tide
Med Gull: 2 adult and three juv
Black-tailed Godwit - 35
Dunlin - 3 OE south shingle bank
Ringed Plover - 16 OE south shingle bank but no sign of ringed bird from last 'winter'

Ringing at Middleton
Green Woodpecker - one sat on a mist net pole!
Ringing included: 3 Lesser and 5 Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, a flock of 6 Goldfinch, just 2 Sedge Warbler and one Willow Warbler & Reed Bunting. A bit too windy.

Elsewhere
The red-ringed Bittern (originally taken into care & released at Leighton) in front of the Lower Hide.

Usual stuff

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/Ocean Edge/outfalls incoming tide
Med Gull - 3 juvenile, 2 adult
Black-tailed Godwit - 16
Whimbrel - 1
Little Egret - 1

Elsewhere
Ad Curlew Sandpiper & 4CY Yellow-legged Gull still at Glasson

Still no Ruddy Darter.............

Heysham Obs
.............Are they now extinct at Middleton/Heysham?

Very brief visit to Red Nab/OE foreshore
Med Gull - ad & juv
Black-tailed Godwit - 14
1 Whimbrel
1 Juvenile Wheatear

Heysham Nature reserve
Quite a few Willow Warblers (c10 at any on time) calling within earshot of the office along with 3+ Common Whitethroat - more migrants than yesterdays poor show !

Middleton IE dragonflies (thanks Colin & Colin)
Model Boat Pond: Common Blue Damselfly: many males (pure guess - 50), 3 tandems, 1female, 4 tenerals; Common Darter 12 males 15 tenerals 1 tandem; Emperor: 1 male, 2 females ovipositing; Blue Tailed Damselfly: 4 males; Black Tailed Skimmer: 1 male
Middleton Wood Pond: Common Darter: 9 males, 1 female, 1 unsexed, 13 tenerals, 2 ovipositing tandems; Emperor: 1 male; Emerald Damselfly: 1 mating pair
Central & Western Marshes
Sightings included 5 4-spotted Chaser
Butterflies: 3 Wall Brown

Heysham NR dragonflies
Dog Pond: Migrant Hawker: Possible female, definite male about 30 yards past on the way back, hawking; Common Darter 4 males + 1 tandem ovipositing; Common Blue Damselfly: 5 males; Emperor: 1 female ovipositing, 2 males; Brown Hawker: 1 male; Blue Tailed Damselfly: 1 male; Common Hawker: 2 males (1 of which consistently saw off the emperor!)
Dipping pond: Brown Hawker: 1 male, 1 female; Blue Tailed Damselfly: 2 males
Jetty: Common Darter: 5 males 1 female; Common Hawker: 1 male; Brown Hawker: 1 female; Blue Tailed Damselfly: 1 male; Emerald Damselfly: 1 male
Hide screen: Possible female Migrant Hawker (but probably not Common Hawker) & 1 male; Blue Tailed Damselfly: 1 male; Common Darter: 1 male, 1 tandem
Marsh & surrounds: Migrant Hawker: 3 males; Common Hawker 4 males & 16 male 7 female Common Darter

Moths
Decent catch included the following less-common species here: Double Lobed, Dingy Footman (3), Flame Carpet (!), Bordered Beauty, Narrow-winged Pug.

Elsewhere
4CY Yellow-legged Gull & Ad Curlew Sandpiper still at Glasson

The miracle of Red Nab

Heysham Obs
Amazingly Red Nab was untouched by human or canine hand on the latter stages of the incoming tide

Red Nab/Ocean Edge/outfalls
Med Gull - 3 separate juvs (at least 2 unringed), 2 adults
Black-tailed Godwit - 24
Whimbrel - 2

Middleton IE
Too clear and breezy, followed by fast moving cumulus from the SW, from an early stage this morning as the forecasted Atlantic weather seems to be starting to run ahead of predictions. Just a handful of birds caught including Lesser Whitethroat & the only overhead movement involved 3 Swift and 6 Swallow

Butterflies
3 Red Admiral, 9 Painted Lady, 3 Peacock, 2 Small Tortoiseshell HNR office buddliea. Grayling Ocean Edge foreshore

No birding time

Heysham Obs
No known coverage of the coastal areas

Middleton IE
Tufted Duck with 5 young still on No Swimming pond & surviving well
One Wall Brown notable.

Moths
Reasonable catch included a single migrant Diamond-back Moth, barred Rivulet, Carcina quercana & Sallow (both first of year)

Butterflies
The HNR office buddliea held up to 13 Peacock, 6 Painted Lady, 3 Small Tortoiseshell but the Red Admiral influx of two days ago had melted away

Elsewhere
Ad Curlew Sandpiper & 4CY Yellow-legged Gull Glasson. 2 Yellow Wagtail Bank End area

Bits and bobs

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE 0630-1230
Still 2 singing male Grasshopper Warbler and a 'squealing' Water Rail - surely they have bred this year. 28 new birds ringed comprising the 'usual' selection of warblers (7 Sedge Warblers, 5 Reed Warblers [including four juvenile], 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap ) and a few passage Swallows (about 50 - 7 ringed) and Swift (11). No tit flocks to enhance the total/reduce the quality of the catch!
Other: 9 Greylag south, 1 Raven over.

Ocean Edge
A bit late with the rocks nearly covered by the spring tide. Apart from the lack of terns, the absence of one or two moulting Little Gulls at this stage of the autumn is rather surprising
Med Gull - one adult
Redshank - 257

Insects
Good variety of butterflies on the office buddleia, incluing a brief Holly Blue

Quick check incoming tide

Heysham Obs
Ocean Edge foreshore & area
Med Gull - 2 adult & 1 juv
Whimbrel - 1

Moths
Fen Wainscot, Southern Wainscot & Dingy Footman headed a decent moth catch. 25 Silver Y the only migratory evidence

A struggle..................

Heysham Obs
..................but there could have been a massive Willow Warbler fall at pre-rain dawn as the only coverage was over the 1000ish tide!

Red Nab/Ocean Edge/outfalls
Med Gull - just one juv with most gulls heading for wet fields on arrival
Redshank - 210
Turnstone - 59
Whimbrel - 1

Moths
A very small catch did include the first Fen Wainscot of the year

Butterflies
The HN reserve is really good at the moment - even though sunlight was at a premium today, in the high humidity there were loads of Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Small Skipper & single Comma & Small Copper on just a short walk

Elsewhere
4CY Yellow-legged Gull off Fishnet Point area, Glasson along with 3 x Ad, 1 x 2CY Med Gulls at nearby Cockersands LAST night (3CY Med recently). See Fylde site for several Med records from Lune Estuary over the last week.